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SELECTING A THEME
There is too much joy in life, too much that is clearly good and beautiful, and too strong an instinct in man of its mystic import, for him long to endure the books that merely disillusion and defile. — RICHARD LE Gemming, z. What Is a Theme? Many people speak of theme like this, so I included it, but I think coming up with a theme first is usually bs. If the plot is "the building author's working plan, " the theme may be compared to the ground on which the house is erected. To multiply metaphors, the theme of the story may be called its keynote; it is the motive force of the story; it is the pivot on which the plot moves. Plainly, the theme is specifically what the story is about. The theme of the story should never be confounded with the title of the story. The title is one of the important adjuncts of the story, as we shall see later, but the theme is more than the name of the story — it is the germ from which the story grew. For example: How a minister whose son had committed some crime, and who was constantly preaching on the punishment due to sin, was moved to forgiveness of that son by sympathy with a paroled prisoner in whom he became interested — this might be the theme of a story; while the title might be, "A new Theme for the Pastor of All Souls. " 2. What Not to Write About There are some themes which people have grown tired of, because they have been used so often that interest in them has palled. The poor apprentice with a noble soul who wins the love of the rich merchant's daughter has not a chance in a thousand of winning the favor of an editor. The long-lost wanderer who returns at Christmas or Thanksgiving will be sent back — with a rejection slip — by the magazines. The story of the child who writes to Santa Claus for delicacies for his sick mother, and thereby discovers wealthy relatives, could not be sold for so much as the price of a pint of milk. The missing will that is providentially found; the noble revenge that heaps coals of fire on the wrong-doer's head, and, incidentally, glorifies and crowns with a halo the party of the first part; the angel child who converts the sinner, or who re-unites parents on the brink of a separation, or who reconciles parents and grandparents; the young workman who turns out to be heir to a dukedom; the Southern youth who enlists in the Union army, and fires on his brother or loses his sweetheart or is disowned by his father; even the millionaire who is converted to Christian socialism — have long been calling in vain at the magazine offices, and it may be taken as a foregone conclusion that editors today are "not at home" to a single one of them. Besides these trite themes, there are others which are commonly taboo, such as those which are on the shady side of sex morality, the controversial or polemical themes, the didactic themes, those which are crazily absurd, and all those which deal with persons, places, or things unfamiliar to the writer. 3. General Sources of Themes Race and Country. The themes that deal with racial types — from negro stories, and those dealing with the Indian, to the stories of the Pennsylvania Germans — may be found under this head. So may all the themes of patriotism and love of native land. Work and Play. Man's pursuits and avocations are fruitful sources of story theme. The soldier, the sailor, and the candle-stick maker, the work of the scholar, the politician, and the engineer, the daily round of the farm and the shop, are all represented in fiction, and always will be. Likewise are the play-themes. The football field, the summer resort, the theatre, the social "set, " all furnish good ground on which to build plots. The Emotions. From the beginning until now, the emotions have furnished most of the themes for the storyteller, and will furnish them during all time to come. Love and hate, sorrow and joy, jealousy and revenge — all the deeps and the billows of the inner life — are ever-new sources of plot-motive. Philosophy and Religion. Under this more intellectual head may be grouped the psychological problem themes, and all that deal with the occult, the mysterious, the supernatural — with crime and with virtue in their relation to human character. (e) Men as Characters. All the varied types of mankind, as they represent classes and localities, and as they stand out as individuals, will yield story-themes in infinite variety. The stories of child-life, of youth, of married life, of old age, of strong and vigorous individuality, of men and women who were greater than their race, or work, or religion, or loves, or sorrows, will be depicted in the shortstory with neverending interest. One word of caution here: It must be reiterated that a theme must not be general, like Love of Country, but it must be specific, and develop, for instance, how one man in a particularized crisis chooses between self-interest and the love of his adopted land. 4. Where to find Materials (a) In Your Own Locality. "That is best which liest nearest, Shape from thence thy work of art. " wrote a great literary artist, ' and the truth is worth attention. The best source of material should be the field with which you are best acquainted. Thus, New York life, the breezy civilization of our Southwest, and the colorful republics of Central America, were constantly used by "0. Henry. " The New England village has been depicted by Mary E. WilkinsFreeman John Fox has found rich material in the Kentucky mountains, and Hamlin Garland has told the stories he found in the vast Rockies' Similarly we have war stories, sea stories, college stories, stories of the factories, the mills, and the schoolroom stories of all sorts and conditions of life, by writers who knew places and people at first hand. But be sure you know the field of which you write, for imagination — which is a fine thing in its place — cannot always be trusted tocreate local color in the absence of first-hand observation. In the Things that Interest You. What you are naturally interested in and drawn to ought to be a good source of material. The adventurous, the mysterious, the problems of psychological reaction, the occult, will draw one writer — a historical epoch, another —racial peculiarities, a third. Think of the limitless field of nature which spreads all around yop, and, in one or another of its phases, is always awakening your interest. In Men and Women. The chit-chat of the hotel veranda, the stories told in the camp, on the steamer deck, in the club-rooms, in the church, in the heart-to-heart-talk with a friend — all may be gold-mines of rich material. (d) In Yourself. "Look, then, into thine heart, and write!" wrote Longfellow, ' paraphrasing Sir Philip Sidney. Your own life-experiences, your aspirations and failures and successes, the happenings that befall you, the " scrapes " you fall into — should be a living spring of story material. So should be your inner, emotional life, if you cultivate that objective subjectivity — which means in plain English, getting outside yourself to look in at yourself — apractice that will enable you to rejoice even at your own grief as affording an opportunity to make splendid "copy, " or will help you to analyze your own joy so as to "write it up. " This kind of faculty once developed, the writer can find themes wherever he goes, whatever he does, and so long as he lives, for he is his own treasure house, from which he can constantly draw new things or old. (e) In Newspaper Cuttings. The incidents and reporters' stories in the newspapers will always yield material. The events related can be transplanted to the locality with which you are most familiar, and the types of men and women you know best can be made to act in them. You can choose the phase of life that is most attractive to you, you can " subjectify " and translate the incidents into your own life experience. Maupassant sought the newspaper for his materials, so did "Octave Thanet, " so does Richard Harding Davis. Many of the stories of "0. Henry" bear the stamp of the reporter. One word of caution, however, regarding the use of themes from newspapers, books, and plays: be sure to alter them so as to avoid giving offence to the originals; and be equally sure that you handle the incidents with such invention that the story becomes your very own. Originality gathers its material where it wills, but stamps it with personality. When you borrow, return with compound interest, and so borrow that you do not mar all the results of your borrowing by one mistake in your facts. QUESTIONS AND EXERCISES In a few words, state the theme of "The Dub. " Do the same for any three magazine stories you may select. Be careful not to confuse the title (which is merely the convenient name) of a story, with its theme, which is the subject of the story — what it is about. Under each of the five "general sources of themes" (pages 137-139), make a list of such themes as occur to you as offering good material for short-stories. Be specific. Choose one from each group as being most attractive to you. Construct a plot on c, or on anyone of the themes ine that you prefer. Criticize any theme from the list submitted by one of your classmates, on the following points: Is the theme too big for a successful short-story? • Is it too trifling or slight? • Has it been treated too often — that is, is it trite or hackneyed? Is it suitable for general reading? Is it interesting enough to make an experienced editor want to read it? Has the same theme been so well handled before that it would require especially brilliant work to make the story a good one? (g) Would it make a pleasant or an unpleasant story? Make a list of any sources of themes that may occur to you other than those named in this chaptêr. Which source of short-story themes seems richest to you, and why? NOTE. It is earnestly urged that representative short-story collections (see the Reading List given in Chapter 1), and the stories in the best magazines be compared in order to discover what difference may exist be tween the themes that were popular twenty-five, fifty, and seventy-five years ago and those which are used today. A classified list of a hundred short-story themes found in the magazines of the current year would form a helpful guide to the student — provided he did not imitate those on the list, but rather studied them to learn what kinds now interest the public. ideas—their chance of success will then be all the greater. Having decided on a theme, you must get a dear idea of